The NFL’s new kickoff guidelines have been the thrill of the league’s spring conferences, when the league determined to decide into an XFL-style strategy for a play that has devolved right into a ceremonial honest catch. In 2023, lower than 20 p.c of the league’s kickoff makes an attempt have been returned in any respect. On prime of that, league research additionally confirmed that the play was harmful when returners determined to area the ball, as concussion charges almost doubled on kickoffs that weren’t honest caught.
Right here comes the NFL’s new kickoff rule to save lots of the day! Or possibly not. Earlier than we get into the critique of this new rule, let’s absolutely clarify them:
- The individual kicking off will nonetheless kick from their very own 35-yard line, however they’re unable to advance previous the 50 till the ball both hits the bottom or the returner within the “touchdown zone.”
- The remaining 10 gamers on the kickoff protection group will probably be lined up on the 40-yard line on the returner’s facet of the sphere and are unable to maneuver till the returner touches the ball or the ball hits the bottom.
- The return group is allotted a minimal of 9 and a most of ten (some groups will use two returners whereas others will merely use one) between the 30- and 35-yard strains on the returner’s facet of the sphere. Just like the kickoff protection gamers, they’re additionally not allowed to maneuver till the returner will get a chance to area the ball or the ball hits the bottom.
- If a ball is kicked into the “touchdown zone” (between the 20-yard line and the aim line), then the return group is predicted to try to return the kickoff. If a ball lands into the “touchdown zone” after which bounces out of the top zone or is downed by the returner, then the next drive will begin on the offense’s 20-yard line.
- If the ball is kicked out of the top zone with out falling into the “touchdown zone,” although, the drive will begin on the 30-yard line.
- Yet one more factor: No shock onside kicks till the fourth quarter. You may solely do on onside kick earlier than the fourth quarter when you announce it beforehand.
That is just like the XFL’s strategy to kickoffs earlier than the league was dissolved into the UFL for the 2024 spring season, however there are some notable variations. Initially, the XFL’s kickoff was returned to the 29-yard line, on common, however the NFL additionally saved the kickoff on the reverse 35-yard line — 5 yards from the place the XFL kickoff started. The XFL additionally arrange their kickoff protection group on the returner’s 35-yard line, not the 40-yard line, which may result in the beginning area place truly being additional down the sphere.
So if the XFL’s common beginning area place was the 29-yard line, and that quantity may improve, then why would groups make a minus-expected worth play by kicking a ball into play as a substitute of simply booting it out of the top zone for a safe 30-yard touchback? That’s one technique that sources have informed me will affect particular groups coordinators’ kickoff technique. What if touchbacks aren’t being penalized sufficient and groups simply maintain kicking them? That’s one unintended consequence.
One other distinction between the XFL and new NFL kickoff approaches is that there are not any restrictions on hold time underneath the brand new NFL guidelines, that means that kickoff specialists can merely pelt the soccer into the “touchdown zone” as arduous as potential to create a ball that’s tough to area, permitting their kick protection group extra time to shut in on returners, who are usually not allowed to honest catch the ball. As a particular groups coordinator informed The Athletic earlier this month, “Any ball that may hit the bottom is now synthetic hangtime. And so the principles are incentivizing variations of squibs and wild kicks. And it’s going to be a s— present.”
Sources have informed me that kickoff technique has basically developed into two camps within the NFL for the reason that guidelines have been introduced: A) Groups will both kick it out of the top zone for a secure begin on the 30-yard line, assuming that returns will, on common, be introduced out previous that time or B) groups that do assume that returns will probably be introduced out previous the 30-yard line on common will pepper the ball in odd methods that may make them odd to area cleanly.
Don’t imagine me? The NFL simply needed to ship a memo that barred footballs being laid sideways on kicking tees simply final week, on the times a lot of the league’s coaching camps opened.
The Inexperienced Bay Packers’ particular groups coordinator, Wealthy Bisaccia, who’s well-respected and has served as an assistant head coach for 5 franchises on prime of being the Las Vegas Raiders’ interim head coach within the 2021 season, claimed on Monday that he expects the kickoff guidelines to be amended, a method or one other, all through the preseason and common season.
Whereas the unique rule adjustments have been accepted by league house owners by a 29-3 vote, it now appears that the technique that the NFL’s particular groups coordinators will deploy to “win the down” appears nothing just like the play that the house owners have been attempting to incentivize. As Bisaccia put it so plainly on Monday earlier than questioning whether or not alignment or touchback landmarks will keep constant all through the 2024 season, “Are you gonna play each ball? Are you gonna kick a touchback? What’s the brand new drive begin going to change into? If the drive begin turns into the 30 and also you quit two returns to the 38-yard line, the following one you’re going to kick it out and make it a touchback.”
